Water

Wave Thirty Four

Leira woke to a tangle of arms and tails and laughed as Hali shoved Tal from the hammock to make more room. She began to prepare herself for training before realising her Scout training days were over. They’d failed their Testing. Dolefully, she looked round for Hali, Nerida and Tal. She saw them swimming around the room. Hali was just about to bathe in the sandbasin, Tal was wrapping strips of seaweed around his biceps, and Nerida was carefully painting squid ink to her eyes. How were they all so calm?
         
Leira swam over to Nerida, watching her apply the liner. Nerida was using a reflective oyster shell to see herself and her delicate hands made it look easy. Noticing she was being observed, Nerida smiled shyly and turned to Leira.
(Let me do yours?)
(What’s the point?) Leira replied. (I won’t be here for much longer.)
         
Nerida looked at Leira, her head tilted to one side to show her curiosity. Leira elaborated dully.
(We failed. They’ll take me away and put me somewhere else now.)
Nerida smiled and before Leira could protest, she clasped Leira’s shoulder and brought her down to the seabed beside her. Carefully, using a small piece of sponge, she began to apply squid ink to Leira’s eyelids. As she did, she thought casually to Leira,
(We don’t know about Guardians, but us Scouts, we don’t send Mer away for failing. We learn from our mistakes and train harder. Then we try again.) She began to use her fingertips to blend the ink into Leira’s skin before holding up the oyster shell. Leira had to pull away from her and blink rapidly to prevent tears from falling.
(I won’t be leaving you?)
(No. We’re a team.)
(But Kai said-)
(What? Did he ever actually say you’d leave us?)
Leira thought about it. She realised that no Scout had ever actually told her she’d leave if she failed. It had been implied, and they’d let her believe it. But Scouts weren’t Guardians, and they had different rules.
         
Leira smiled. Nerida held up the oyster shell again, and this time, Leira gazed into it. She saw a young Mer staring back at her, her cheekbones high and proud, pale skin stretched across them. Her lips were full and pink, and her eyes! The ink framed them perfectly giving her an intensity and power she hadn’t seen before. Her black eyes set within the dark black ink made them look huge and-
(Beautiful,) murmured Nerida, pleased with herself. She dragged Leira over to the sandbasin so the others could admire her handiwork. Even Hali smiled appreciatively.
(Not bad, Guardian.) She heaved herself out of the sandbasin so Leira could slide in.
         
Nerida and Tal swam together to the far corner of the cavern, their heads pressed close together. Leira smiled, happy for them. She smoothed sand over her scales, washing away the scabs that had formed over her recent wounds.
         
Tal and Nerida returned to the sandbasin holding something between them. Tal plopped it down into the sand covering Leira. It started to sink and Leira had to grapple with it briefly before she could retrieve it. She held it up to the light, examining it. It was a necklace, bound together using strands of seaweed fibres to form the chain. Hanging from the chain like jewels, were four scales. Three red and one a deep violet. She peered at Nerida and Tal, and saw each of them was missing a scale from their tails, just below the hip bone.
(Hali gave one of hers too,) Tal projected happily. (It was her idea. She found yours on the meadow right after your fight with Bay.) Hali swam over and lowered herself to the seabed. She helped Leira fasten the necklace. The scales lay nestled just above her heart. Leira felt tears forming.
       
Briskly, Hali ushered them all to the hole in the wall. She ducked into it, projecting loudly,
(Come on! We can’t be late for our own meeting.)
(Meeting?) queried Leira at the same time that Tal thought,
(Ha! Meeting! No one’s ever on time for the Council. Trust us, we won’t be late.) Leira turned to Tal, terrified.
(We have to go before the Council?)
(We don’t have to,) Tal replied.
(But it is expected of us, Tal,) Hali chided. (Besides, barely anyone else shows up to them. If we don’t go, no one else will. Come on, let’s move!)
       
Leira followed the others, her mind whirling. They were about to be put before the Scout Council, yet her friends seemed so calm. She thought about the Guardian Council meetings she’d attended; it was mandatory for all Guardians to attend. They were formal and binding affairs. She swam close to Hali as they emerged in the main chamber, feeling Hali’s arm brush against her own. It helped to still her nerves. A little.